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New Tribune chair dumps CEO

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by FileNotFound, Feb 23, 2016.

  1. WriteThinking

    WriteThinking Well-Known Member

    I admit it. I chuckled at this.
     
    Ace likes this.
  2. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    So, as I understand it, it seems Tribune axed the publishers at all of its papers and promoted all the top editors to editor and publisher.

    It shows that it doesn't matter if you are an agate clerk or the publisher when the axe swings -- unless you are in corporate, which doesn't seem to get touched.

    Also, is it possible that some of these publishers were pretty good at their jobs and some of the editors maybe not so great? No thought into this beyond chopping off the head?

    Sigh.
     
  3. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    I don't think that is accurate. This thread started with the news that the CEO got axed. Then a story about how a bunch of executives he had brought in were getting canned. I'm sure you would consider all of them corporate.

    I have no idea what thought went into what Ferro is doing. But at least in a cursory way, it looks like the company got a new majority owner and that person has started a giant shakeup. In this case, I am not sure why you don't think it included the top, as well as the bottom. The CEO got axed.
     
  4. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Eh. That's more of a power play.
     
  5. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    What do you mean?
     
  6. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Are the filling those jobs? They eliminated publisher jobs. I assume there still will be a CEO, board and corporate lackeys.
     
  7. Bronco77

    Bronco77 Well-Known Member

    Also, I've heard the guy who is now Orlando's editor/publisher previously was some sort of "quality-control" czar who shuttled between the Florida papers. He was regarded as a grim reaper among many in the Fort Lauderdale newsroom -- when he appeared, layoffs were sure to follow.

    And to address one of the previous posts about publishers being canned: As noted earlier, the always-optimistic Fort Lauderdale publisher, who is in his late 60s, announced his impending retirement a few months ago and would have been leaving regardless. Nor were Tim Ryan (L.A.) and Tony Hunter (Chicago) canned; they were moved to the corporate level. It's just a rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic, which has been a constant for Trib newspapers over the past 10 years.
     
  8. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    He was all about "moving the needle."

    Which made the designers very nervous, because despite their outstanding work, nothing they were doing was moving the needle, in this guy's eyes. A design desk of about 22 in 2008 was down to 4-5 when I left.
     
  9. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Orlando's new pub-editor doesn't seem to be well-liked or respected or considered very good at whatever he's doing.

    But some people are excellent at giving corporate whatever they want with no pushback. They rise rapidly up the ladder.
     
  10. Bronco77

    Bronco77 Well-Known Member

    A friend who is hanging onto his job at a Tribune Publishing newspaper asks an intriguing question: How much have Tribune Co., before it spun off newspapers, and now TPUB paid former employees NOT to work over the past 10 years or so? With all the layoffs, buyouts and executive purges, the numbers must be staggering.
     
    studthug12 likes this.
  11. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    Have to say I'm honestly surprised so many places do that/have done that since severance pay is not mandatory. TPUB's most recent buyout was as generous as anything I'd seen in the industry since about the time this whole mess started.
     
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